Stone picking machine



May 15, 1951 Afl.. clNTULA 2,553,240.'

STONE PICKING MACHINE Filed July 30, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTE RN EYS May A. L. @NTULA STONE PICKING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 50, 1948 a' Mgg/m l ATTDRN EYS May 15, 1951 A. 1 clNTuLA 2,553,240

STONE PICKING MACHINE Filed July so, 1948 v 4 sheepssheet s IN VENTOR. A/o/'s L C'fn zL//a ATTE RN EYS May 15, 1951 A. crNTULA 2,553,240

l STONE PICKING MACHINE Filed July 30, 1948 A4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTCIRN EYE INVENTOR.

Patented May 15, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STONE PICKING MACHINE Alois Louis Cintula, Norwood, Mo.

Application July 30, 1948, Serial No. 41,525

1 Claim. i

This invention relates to a stone picking machine.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a stone picking machine adapted to be connected to a tractor or the like and to have its operating depth gauged from the tractor hitch bar and operable by a lever on the machine and accessible from the operators station on the tractor and wherein the stone receiver is so located at the rear of the frame that the stones can be dumped without other parts of the machine interfering with the opera-lon and wherein the pull cord for releasing the stone receiver door extends forwardly along the machine and is accessible to the operator on the tractor.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide a stone picking machine of the trail behind type which has its own power plant for driving the pickup device and the conveyor for elevating the stone to the stone receiver and depth adjusting mechanism, which is of simple construction, easy to attach 'to the tractor, easy to adjust, has minimum and durable parts, inexpensive to manufacture, and efficient in operation.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed descrip-tion taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the stone picking machine embodying the features of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the machine as viewed from the opposite side from which the machine is viewed in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken generally on line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional View taken generally on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a rear elevational view of the machine.

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan View of the receiver and of the latch mechanism for retaining the receiver door in its closed position while being filled with stones, the view being taken generally on line 1 7 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 8--8 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged sectional View taken generally on line S-S of Fig. 8 and through one of the digging teeth and showing the manner in which each tooth is connected to the transverse support bar.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged sectional view taken through the conveyor mechanism and on line Ill-I0 of Fig. 2.

Fig. ll is a detail elevational View of one of the spacing rollers for the conveyor.

Fig. 12 is a detail sectional view taken on line |2-I2 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the figures, i5 represents a frame comprising side members or portions I6 of channel section. These side members respectively have bearings I'I in which is journalled a straight axle I8 having respectively rubber tired wheels I9. On the front of the frame is a platform 2i on which is mounted power plant 22. This power plant has a drive pulley 23 connected through a belt 24 with a large pulley 25 on a shaft 26 journalled in bearings 2l, 28 and 29, transversely aligned on the platform 2 i.

Pivotally connected to the forward end of 'the frame I5 as at 3l is a hitch bar 32 adapted to be connected to the draw bar of a tractor by a hitch pin 33 thereof. To the lower end of the bar 32 there is connected a. link 34 depending from an arm 36 of an adjustable lever 36 pivoted to the frame at 3l and operable over a quadrant 33. The lever has a detent device 36 engageable with the quadrant to hold the lever in its adjusted position. Movement of the lever will adjust the forward end of the frame, the hitch bar of the tractor being disposed in a fixed vertical position.

Connected between the sides of the frame and depending from the bottom of the same is a transverse support bar il to which are connected a plurality of diggers or teeth t2. These teeth are made secure by U-clamps 43 vertically spaced from one another and extending through the bar 4I, Figs. 8 and 9, and made secure to the bar by nuts 46. These teeth will loosen the ground and the stones therefrom. The depth of operation of these teeth is controlled by the pcsition of the draw bar 32. The handle 36 extends toward the tractor and is accessible to the operators station.

Depending from the opposite sides of the frame are brackets 45 having a rotary pick-up device or mechanism 46 journaled thereacross. This pickup device lies in rear of the teeth 42 and will pickup the loosened stone and fling the same onto a conveyor mechanism 4l. The pickup device 46 has rows of teeth i8 and a pulley 49 which is connected by a belt 5| with a pulley 52 on a gear 53 meshed with a gear 54 of shaft 26 driven by the power plant 22.

The shaft 26 has a pulley 55 connected by a belt 56 with a pulley 51 of a drive shaft 58 `of the conveyor mechanism lil. The conveyor mechanism has a traveling belt 59 which extends over the drive shaft 58 and is supported in an elevated position on a roller 6I journalled on the upper end of conveyor frame pieces 62. The lower end of the conveyor frame pieces have an apron 63 which extends beneath the pickup device 48 to receive the stone therefrom.

An adjustable idler pulley device 613 is connected to each side of the conveyor frame and has a roller sprocket 65 engageable with the under sideiot'the conveyory chain 59. This device 64 is adjustable on theside frame, Figsfll and 12 and will retain the conveyor belt on its under sideV against upward displacement and against entanglement with the upper side thereof. The side frame pieces 62 of the conveyor mechanism are supported near their upper ends by braces 68 and at their lower ends by depending braces 69.

Between the side frame members andi at the rear thereof there is fixed a stone receiver 1I of hopper shape and with a curved bottom 12. A door 13 is hinged at its upper edge at 14 and may b e liftedfrom its bottom 'edge when released upon the stone being discharged from the receiver'. The' door 13 will return by gravity and will be retained in its lowered position by a hook latch 15, Fig. rLjournalled in bearings 16 on the bottom of the-hopper and having a spring 11 urging the same toa closed position. An arm 18 depends from the latch and is connected by a pull cord 1.9 t 'ai forwardly and upwardly extending bracket 8| on the front of the frame Where the pull cord-will be accessible to the operator on the tractor. It will be apparent that when this pull cord is pulled, that the door will be released and the stone willbe discharged. Door 13 will return Ato its closed position by gravity and past the'l'atch 15.

' Onthe support 8| is an adjustable lever 83 which is: connected 'by a wire 84 to the power plantst control the speed of operation of the same. This wire 84'is connected with an arm B5 with a pulley 86 thereon. The pulley will engage the belt 24 to control the'slippage of the belt 24 on the power plant pulley 23. The adjusting lever 83 is easily accessible to the operator on the tractor and can beAXed at any position on quadrant 81.

' It should be apparent that there has been prorectly connected to a tractor in such a manner that the depth of operation of the digger is `gauged from the tractor and wherein the stone when picked up will be elevated and delivered to a stone receiver. When the stone receiver has been lled, the rear door can be released and the stone discharged. If it is desired to haul the stone from the eld, the forward end of the frame will be elevated to a position on the tractor whereby the teeth 42 will be withdrawn from the ground While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim: A

In a stone picking machine, a mobile frame including a pair of spaced parallel side portions, a platform arranged on the front of said frame, and a power plant supported on said platform, of a bracket dependingly carried vby each of said sidelp'orti'ons, a horizontally disposed shaft supp crted above said platform and driven by said power plant,` a rotary pickup mechanism connected to said brackets and including a plurality of'teeth, belt and pulley means connecting said picku'pmechanisni to said shaft, an inclined conveyor mechanism having its rear end arranged adjacent to said pickup mechanism, belt and pulley means connecting said conveyork mechanism to said shaft, and an apron projecting from said conveyor mechanism and extending beneath said pickup mechanism.

- Y ALOIS LOUIS CINTULA.

' REFERENCES CITED -The following references are of record in the rlley of this patent:

l y ,UNITED STATES PATENTS Number .Name Date 1,304,156 Case et al. May 20,1919 1,713,952 Darr May 2l, 1929 2,297,065 .McLendon Sept.` 29, 1942 "Y'rf'oaEiGN PATENTS f Number r Country Date Great Britain Jan. 2, 1919 ffl. 

